The AOC leaves out some peripheral amenities but delivers on all the important metrics, speed, smoothness, saturated color, high brightness and addictive gaming. And it’s less than half the price of a comparable OLED.
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There are so many excellent 27-inch OLED gaming monitors appearing almost weekly that one might wonder if LCD is on the way out. This is definitely not the case for one major reason: cost. A 27-inch QHD 240 Hz OLED is around $700. An LCD with the same specs will set you back $350 or less. And there’s another thing – peak brightness. Mini LED panels are delivering over 1,000 nits full-screen, whereas an OLED might hit 500. That too is a significant difference.
AOC has long been a master of price/performance, bang-for-the-buck, value among the best gaming monitors — choose your metaphor. It delivers excellent color accuracy, broad contrast, and premium gaming performance for beer money. The Q27G4ZMN is a perfect example. This 27-inch VA panel boasts QHD resolution, 240 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, HDR1000, a full-array local dimming Mini LED backlight with 1,152 zones, and wide-gamut Quantum Dot color for just $330.
AOC Q27G4ZMN Specs
Swipe to scroll horizontally Panel Type / Backlight VA / W-LED Row 1 - Cell 0 Full Array Local Dimming Row 2 - Cell 0 1,152 zones Screen Size / Aspect Ratio 27 inches / 16:9 Max Resolution and Refresh Rate 2560x1440 @ 240 Hz Row 5 - Cell 0 FreeSync and G-Sync Compatible Native Color Depth and Gamut 8-bit / DCI-P3+ Response Time (GTG) 1ms Brightness (mfr) 450 nits SDR Row 9 - Cell 0 1,200 nits HDR Contrast (mfr) 5,000:1 Speakers None Video Inputs 1x DisplayPort 1.2 Row 13 - Cell 0 2x HDMI 2.0 Audio 3.5mm headphone output USB None Power Consumption 31.9w, brightness @ 200 nits Panel Dimensions WxHxD w/base 24.2 x 15.2-20.1 x 9.5 inches (615 x 386-511 x 240mm) Panel Thickness 2.3 inches (58mm) Bezel Width Top/sides: 0.28 inch (7mm) Row 20 - Cell 0 Bottom: 0.75 inch (19mm) Weight 15.5 pounds (7.1kg) Warranty 3 years
OLED will always have one significant advantage over LCD, and that is regarding black levels. It can shut off individual pixels frame by frame, which means blacks will be darker and contrast will be higher. But a well-engineered LCD with the right combination of technologies can still approach that image quality. Luckily, the Q27G4ZMN has that winning combination. It’s a VA panel, Fast VA in AOC’s parlance, with a Mini LED backlight that not only approaches 1,500 nits full-field, but also has 1,152 dimming zones, each with four LEDs. To say the Q27G4ZMN is bright is to engage in understatement. It’s rated for DisplayHDR 1000, and I saw 1,460 nits measuring a full-field white pattern.
Color is important too, and the Q27G4ZMN has more than enough to satisfy, thanks to a Quantum Dot layer that boosts the gamut volume to 106% coverage of DCI-P3. There are a few slightly more colorful monitors out there, but in the Mini LED camp, it’s one of the most colorful. Accuracy is also spot-on, with no need for calibration. I achieved only a tiny gain in the numbers after making adjustments. HDR color is even more saturated with tremendous vibrance and impact.
Gamers will be looking for video processing cred, and the Q27G4ZMN covers that base too. It hits 240 Hz without overclocking and includes Adaptive-Sync, which works seamlessly on both Nvidia and AMD platforms. There’s a precise overdrive to remove almost all motion blur as well. The only thing missing is backlight strobing.
To keep the price low, AOC leaves out conveniences like speakers and USB ports. There’s no LED lighting either. But you do get aiming points, including a dynamic reticle and a frame counter. The stand is solid and fully adjustable. Styling is game-forward but understated. There’s no OSD joystick, you’ll have to make do with buttons. But for competitive gameplay, the Q27G4ZMN has everything you need and nothing you don’t. If you’re focused on performance and image quality, it’s on par with the very best at an attractively low price.
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